COLUMBUS, Ohio — Salvatore Carfagna has been slicing, unboxing and stacking since he was a teenager. 

“Knowing what the customer wants and how thin it is and how to slice the meat is ultimately the trick,” said Carfagna. 

And now as the director of marketing and advertising, he represents the fourth generation of the Carfagna family, a rich tradition that began with his great grandfather. 

“My great grandfather opened up the business in 1937. My grandfather Eddie had this location that we're at which opened in '71,” said Salvatore Carfagna. 

From the meat counter to homemade Italian specialties, Carfagna's Market on East Dublin Granville Road has been a neighborhood and Columbus institution for generations. 

But after 50 years, a big change is in store for the company, which currently employs 13 members of the Carfagna family. 

“We traveled, we went and looked at the greatest and the newest concepts all throughout the country. We researched them, we put what we felt like was the best that Columbus could see and could offer for them, and it's going to be something like you've never have experienced before,” said Co-founder and Salvatore's father, Sam Carfagna. 

Starting next month, a nearly 30,000-square-foot location will open at 1440 Gemini Place in Polaris, an all-in-one experience, doubling the size of its market and kitchen, also a restaurant, deli, as well as wine and liquor stores. There will even be a room dedicated to Salvatore's grandfather. 

Carfagna said it's all part of a natural evolution and adapting to the times. 

“Now that the pandemic did happen, there's other processes that are becoming more modern that we are adapting to have in here for our customers such as grocery pickup, online ordering and different things like that we really need to embody to survive,” said Salvatore Carfagna.  

Although the Carfagnas said the move will be bittersweet, they know their founder would be proud. 

“My grandfather, we called him Nono, ... he would say 'finalmente' — finally — you know what I mean. You're getting it. He always taught us, give people what they want, not what you want,” said Sam Carfagna. 

For more information about Carfagnas click here.